{Day 9} The Homemaker's Job Description

Welcome to Day #9 of the 31 Days to Professional Homemaking series.  To learn more about this series and to see the list of topics, click HERE.  Please know that I am not an expert in marriage, motherhood, or homemaking.  I'm just a woman {who happens to be a wife, mother, and homemaker}, trying to figure it all out, by the grace of God.  This series is just as much for me as it is for anyone reading.

Before we get started, I'd like to offer you the following button, in case you want to share this series with your readers:

<center> <a href="http://www.domesticblissdiaries.com/p/31-days.html"><img src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s374/domesticblissdiaries/31DAYSBUTTON.jpg" /></a></center>

A job description, as defined by Dictionary.com, is "a detailed written account, agreed between management and worker, of all the duties and responsibilities which together makeup a particular job".  Its purpose is to make sure the employer and the employee are on the same page when it comes to what is expected.  Without a proper job description, an employee is left to wonder what he or she is responsible for, which can result in unnecessary stress for both parties as a result of poor communication.

Now shifting this idea of a job description over to the homemaking world:  

When I left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom, I was very unsure what my responsibilities were.  I knew being a wife and mother would make up the largest part of my role, but when it came to actually managing the home, I was unsure of everything that part of my job would entail.  I mean, I figured that laundry, dishes, and vacuuming would have to take place at some point, but no one handed me a piece of paper with a detailed list of what needed to be done and how to do it.  Basically, I was like a kid who was told to "clean your room" without given any further instructions on exactly how to get that job done.

Now, many of you may not like to be told what to do and how to do it, but as a brand-new, full-time, stay-at-home mom, I would have given anything for someone to "hold my hand" through those first few months... maybe even the entire first year {if I were being completely honest}.  Unfortunately, though, most of us won't get the "hand-holding" kind of mentoring that we want {or even may desperately need} but, luckily, there are an unending amount of resources {in the form of books and blogs} for those of us who are navigating these uncharted waters.  {And I pray that, as I learn and grow as a homemaker, this blog will serve as a resource to many of you, as well.}

You see, the thing is, there is no one-size-fits-all job description that I can give you.  Because, truthfully, what we do as homemakers is too personal.  In order to be effective, I'd have to meet {talk on the phone, skype, chat...} with each and every one of you to create a customized job description that has been tailored to your strengths and skill level, as well as to the unique needs of your family and your lifestyle.  To be the most effective, I'd have to come observe you and your family in your own home in order to get a better idea of the job description that would suit you best, which is pretty much impossible.

This means, you'll need to create your own "job description".  But, we'll get to that in just a minute.  

First, I'd like to share some wonderful homemaking quotes I've come across in the past couple of days as I've been preparing for this series, in hopes that it'll get your wheels turning in regards to your role as a homemaker:

"Cultivate the skills, not only of housekeeping, but of making a home for your family. As you know already, they are not always exactly the same. Housekeeping consists of the laundry, the dishes, the toilets, and floors that need to be scrubbed, but homemaking is something else…Homemaking is the deliberate cultivation of beauty and productivity in family relationships. Homemaking is about helping your family feel loved and comforted. Homemaking is about celebrating each other, and about caring for each other, as well as for your friends and extended families and even the occasional stranger. Anyone can keep house. Not everyone bothers to make a home."

{Holly Schurter in Professionalizing Motherhood}

************************************

“So as women, when we create welcoming homes where Christ is honored, we’re creating here on this earth, a physical, visible reflection of an eternal, invisible reality. We’re giving people a taste of heaven.”

{Nancy Leigh Demoss}

************************************

“I found making a home is not about all your stuff or even doing household chores. It’s more than just how you take care of your personal space. It’s what Titus 2 talks about – how you fulfill your role in the church and in your relationships with other people, and how you glean from them and disciple others. Just to stay home, isolate yourself, and have a nicely decorated, tidy house is not the point…It’s always about the people. Making a home is not about the physical space; it’s about the people who are coming and going from this place.

“Homemaking is simply the collection of tasks that keep a home running. These tasks are no more the ultimate definition of “looking well to the ways of a household” than cleaning out electronic files, deleting emails, answering the phone, and booking travel reservations are to the actual definition of office work. Every sphere has its repetitive tasks that contribute to the larger goal of productivity. The point of being a keeper at home is to provide a haven for a godly family to thrive, to offer hospitality to fellow Christians and non-Christians alike, and to provide a place for the church to meet."

{Quotes shared from Caroyln McCulley’s Radical Womanhood}

************************************

"Just as a little thread of gold, running through a fabric, brightens the whole garment, so women's work at home, while only the doing of little things, is just like the golden gleam of sunlight that runs through and brightens the whole fabric of civilization."

{Laura Ingalls Wilder}

So, you see, your job description does include keeping house {the chores, the cooking, and the laundry}.  But, it is so much more than that.  It's about creating an oasis, a small taste of heaven on earth, for your family, friends, and even, at times, strangers.  It's about being faithful in the simple tasks of making and managing home, in order to influence the world around you.  

If you were to boil professional, intentional homemaking down to one overarching goal, it would be this:

To be a good steward of the people {husband, children, extended family, friends, and the occasional stranger} and possessions {home, money, resources, time, intelligence, skills, etc} that we've been given, to the glory of God.

Because, really, being intentional about something simply means that you strive to glorify God through your stewardship {the act of being a caretaker or guardian} of that "something".  In other words, intentionality, at its core, simply means to not waste.  Don't waste the time you have with your family pursuing things that don't truly matter.  Don't waste the money that you have been blessed with by spending it on frivolous nonsense.  Don't waste the time you've been given by adopting a lifestyle of laziness.

Instead, make a conscious decision to approach every area of your life with purpose, because everything you have comes from God.  I pray that He finds us faithful.

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." 

{Lydia Sherman}

Today's Challenge:

Each day, I'll give you a challenge: one small thing you can do to apply each day's topic to your life and your home.

Here's your challenge for today:

1.  Write your own job description:  

STEP #1: Write down everything that you're responsible for as a homemaker.  I know this may seem like a daunting task, but you have to start with your responsibilities before you can determine the expectations for each category.  {If you need help, take a look at the 7 Key Areas of Intentional Living post to get you started.}

STEP #2: Next to each responsibility  write down your expectation.  {Word of advice: you may want to include your spouse in this step because the last thing you want is a breakdown in communication because your opinions concerning responsibilities or expectations differ.}  For example: As a homemaker, I am responsible for cleaning my house.  But, the expectation that my husband and I have for the cleanliness of our house is that it is "clean enough to be healthy but messy enough to be happy".  In other words, "spotless" is not a word we'd use to describe the way we want our home to look.  So, when I start to stress out because my house is messier than I'd like, I clean it until it meets my expectations: clean enough to be healthy, but messy enough to be happy!

Once you've written out your responsibilities and expectations, you can pat yourself on the back because you've created your own job description.  Refer back to it when you feel overwhelmed because it'll show you what's most important to you and your family.  

Now, after you've done that, do me a favor and do this next thing.  I promise it's not hard and you'll be glad you did it:

2. Write down {or copy + paste and print out} one - or all - of the quotes I shared with you today.  If you'd like, you can even go on the hunt for more quotes to inspire you.  Once you written/printed them out, display them in random places around your house to remind you of the true purpose of homemaking.  Read them when you're feeling discouraged or when someone doesn't understand what you're trying to accomplish within your home.

<-----------------------------
FOR DAY #8: THE INTENTIONAL MOTHER
CLICK HERE.

----------------------------->
FOR DAY #10: STEWARDSHIP 101
CLICK HERE.

God Bless,

* FACEBOOK * PINTEREST *

Linked To:

Women Living Well Wednesdays at Women Living Well Ministries
Homemaking Link Up at Raising Homemakers
Works For Me Wednesdays at We Are THAT Family
Hearts 4 Home at Our Simple Country Life
Beautiful Thursdays at Passionate and Creative Homemaking
Thrive @ Home Thursdays at Jenni Mullinix
Desire to Inspire Thursdays at Royal Daughter Designs